VRAMFS: Using Your Video RAM As A Linux File-System

[phoronix]

Phoronix: VRAMFS: Using Your Video RAM As A Linux File-System

The latest FUSE-based Linux file-system is VRAMFS to provide a general purpose file-system within your graphics card's dedicated video memory...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTg2MjI

[Styromaniac]

Call me pessimistic, but this seems like a waste of time, although it's their personal project. Maybe if we start seeing PCIe based RAM expansion cards or a PCIe card that is nothing but boatloads of VRAM, then we could make good use of a VRAMdisk driver. As stated in the article, capacity is the problem. If I really need a RAM disk of any sort, it currently makes more sense for me to invest in a triple or quad channel mobo than anything else.

[cb88]

Call me pessimistic, but this seems like a waste of time, although it's their personal project. Maybe if we start seeing PCIe based RAM expansion cards or a PCIe card that is nothing but boatloads of VRAM, then we could make good use of a VRAMdisk driver. As stated in the article, capacity is the problem. If I really need a RAM disk of any sort, it currently makes more sense for me to invest in a triple or quad channel mobo than anything else.

Ramdisk cards already exist... and would be far faster probably a bit quicker than an SSD.

Remember GPUs are not optimised for quick transfer to and from but for fast access locally between VRAM and GPU.

[NotMine999]

Call me pessimistic, but this seems like a waste of time, although it's their personal project. Maybe if we start seeing PCIe based RAM expansion cards or a PCIe card that is nothing but boatloads of VRAM, then we could make good use of a VRAMdisk driver. As stated in the article, capacity is the problem. If I really need a RAM disk of any sort, it currently makes more sense for me to invest in a triple or quad channel mobo than anything else.

I would agree, but the article reminds me of the saying, "What's old is new again."

Maybe if we start seeing PCIe based RAM expansion cards or a PCIe card that is nothing but boatloads of VRAM, then we could make good use of a VRAMdisk driver.

I remember having old IBM PC-XT computers that had the bulk of the 640KB memory made available via a standard length ISA (not even and extended ISA or even VLB slot) add-in board. No dedicated slot for that stuff in those days.

I remember having an old "clone" 80286-based computer that had an add-in memory board that was accessed through a 64KB "window" in lower memory (below the 640KB barrier). It could use either the "now ancient" EMS or XMS specifications, but I could be wrong as it was 20+ years ago!!

[cician]

I guess it's more for educational purposes than anything else.
With some effort you could run an OpenCL kernel directly on a file

[curaga]

I think it's a good idea, there have been similar works before to make use of unused VRAM. Be serious, a normal desktop barely uses 128mb, and current cards ship with boatloads you could use for better purposes when not gaming.

[stiiixy]

While this does sound like a solution looking for a problem, might this find more traction in render farms? Although I bet 50 cents their render time is pretty full on, and at a price premium. Maybe in science labs as well?

[dragonn]

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Swap_on_video_ram sems a better idea for me.

[V10lator]

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Swap_on_video_ram sems a better idea for me.

Read the first two warnings at the page and screw that idea. Better use VRAMFS + swapfile.

[dragonn]

Read the first two warnings at the page and screw that idea. Better use VRAMFS + swapfile.

This are not warnings but "requirements" for using this way but I am sure it will have better performance.